Can cooling and transferring mechanism



Aug. F D'C 7 1,924,271

CAN COOEING AND TRANSFERRING MECHANISM Filed Nov.. 27, 1931 INVEN TOR.

W H M ATTORNEY.

I Patented Aug. 29, 1933 CAN COOLING AND TRANSFERRING MECH -j Frank D Chapman; Berlin, Wis.

Application November 27, 1931 Serial No. 577,533

19 claims- (01. 257453) The present invention relates in general to improvements in the art of heat transfer, and re lates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of apparatus for cool} 5 ing heated objects such as food laden cans.

An object of the invention is' to provide inrproved cooling apparatus for rapidly and effec tively reducing the tenr perature of successive objects such as food laden cans, upon delivery thereof from a heater.

It is customary in the canning industry to heat treat or process various commodities after the same have been packed in sealed containers such as cylindrical tin cans. Such heat treatment is frequentlyelfected by passing the food laden sealed cans in succession through a continuous cooker or sterilizer. When the treated cans are V delivered from the processing apparatus they are in highly heated condition, and it is desirable to thereafter reduce the temperature by dispersing the internal heat of each confined batch,

as rapidly and effectively as possible.

It is a morespecific object of the present invention to provide a cooler which will effec tively and automatically reduce the temperature of successive food laden cans as rapidly as they are delivered from the heat treating apparatus.

Another specific object ofvthe invention is to provide a cooling device of large capacity, wherein the successive objects are initially cooled during delivery thereof to a'final-cooler, so as to eifect a relatively great range of temperaturereduction. e H

'Still another specific object of the invention is to provide improved cooling apparatus'especially adapted .for the treatment of any commodity,

whether solid or liquid, packed in cylindricalcontainers such as tin cans.

. An additional object of .the invention is to pro- .veniently manipulated to produce various desirable conditions of operation. I a These and other objects and advantages of the tailed description.

The improved can transporting mechanism for transferring the successive food-laden cylindrical cans to and from'therotor .of'the' main cooler,

and which is, showndiagrammatically in the plication SerialNo. 672,543, filed May 24,.1933 I .A clear-conception, of embodiments of the several features'constituting the present invention,

vide a heat transfer device which may be con invention will be apparent from the following dedrawing, forms the subject of a divisional, ap

accordance therewith, may be had by referring to. the drawing accompanying and forming a partof this specification in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe 1 several views: M j q Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of the improved cooling units; showing the initial and final coolers and the mechanism for discharging the'cans from the finallcooler; a T

Fig. 2 is a part sectional, end elevation of, theimproved cooler, looking towardflthe can inlet end and the initial cooler; and Fig. 3' isla' part sectional end view of the i'rnproved cooler looking toward thecan discharge endoftheunit. U Q

vWhile the invention has been :shown'and'described herein asbeing specifically applied to coolers for cylindrical on cans containing food products or comestible substances; it is to be understoodthat some ofgthe features are more generally applicable to .thetreatment" and transportation of otherv objects, andal'so to the treat-. H mentof containers packedwith substances other than those referred to.

The improved cooling apparatus specifically so illustratedin Figs. 1, 2 and,3,]c omprises in general an initial conduit cooler 6 andafinaldrum cooler 5,"through which the cans are transported in succession. This apparatus is especially adapted for the treatment of highly heated food laden cans or thelike, which are cylindrical in shape.

The initial cooler 6 consistsof a zig-zag or corrugated co'nduitj'l surroundedby an endless'chain conveyor Bwhich-is adapted to deliver the suc- 'cessive highly heated "food ladenfcans from a supply chute 9 to the upper'end of the conduit 7. The interiorof the cooling conduit 7 is pro-,

vided with a can transporting chain conveyor lo fer gradually propelling thecans in succession downwardly through'the zig za'g portion of the conduit '7, and thelower end of this portion of the cooler conduit communicates directly with the upper part of the inletend of the finalcooler 5, through a conduit 'll and a can inlet opening I 12.- T he conduit. ll is not sufiicient in-size ,to permit the cans to pass therethrough; butmere ly serves to permit unrestricted flow or cooling liquid-from the final cooler 5 into the lower end, 1

of the "conduit Theupper part of the zig-zag' H portion of the conduit '7 is provided j with an overflow 13 through which the upwardly flbwl'ng cooling liquidis finally delivered in regulated quant ti ssists of an outer cylindrical fixed casing 14 having stationary helical can guides 15 secured to the interior peripheral wallthereof, and a rotor 16 rotatably supported within the casing 14 and having a series of peripheral radial flights 17 adapted to urge the successive cans spirally along the helical guides 15. The delivery end of the stationary casing 14 is provided withan inwardly projecting cup-shaped head 18 which forms an annular can discharge and cooling medium inlet space 19.

A can discharge conduit 20 having an endless chain can conveyor 21 operabletherethrough,

communicates with the lower part of the annu-.

lar space 19 of the final cooler 5 and rises therefrom to the level of the overflow 13 associated with the initial cooler conduit 7, and'an auxiliary cooling liquid inlet 22 may be provided at the upper end of this discharge conduit 20. The annular space 19 besides communicating with the can delivery conduit20, is also provided with a cooling liquid inlet 23 for admitting the major portion of the cooling medium directly to the interior'of' the casing 14 at the can delivery end 21 upon a delivery chute 25.

thereof. The rotor 16 and the several endless chain can conveyors associated with the cooling apparatus, are simultaneously operable by means of the gearing 24, and the finally cooled cans 28v are discharged by gravity from the final conveyor During normal operation of the improved cooler, the chain conveyors 8, 10, 21 and the rotor 16 are being operated continuouslyby means of 'the gearing 24,,and the successive food laden heated cans 28 are being delivered from the can supply chute 9 to the upper end of the initial cooler 6, by the chain conveyor 8. Cooling liquid at predetermined temperature is being admitted to the can delivery end of the final cooler 5 through the inlet 23, and flows longitudinally through the casing 14 in a direction opposite to the direction of travel .of the cans 28. Upon reaching the caninlet opening12 and the conduit 11, the cooling liquid flows into and upwardly through the zig-zag conduit 7 and is eventually discharged through the outlet 13. In order to maintain the liquid Within the can discharge conduit 20 at sufficiently low temperature, cooling liquid at or below the temperature of that admitted to the main inlet 23, may be admitted to the upper end of the conduit 20 through the auxiliary inlet 22. v H

The heated cans 28 passing downwardly through the zigza'g conduit 7 have their temperature initially reduced by the cooling liquid rising through this conduit, tosuch an extent that theymay be effectively finally cooled in a main cooler 5 of relatively small size. The temperature range of, the cooling liquid at the can outlet and inlet ends of the conduit 7, may for example be fromninety degrees to one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit. While passing through the main cooler casing 14 which is filled with cooling liquid surrounding the rotor 16, the temperature of the cans '28 is further reduced so that when the food ladencans enter the delivery conduit 20, they are cooled to substantially the desired extent.- 'The temperature range of the cooling liquid at the can outletand inlet ends of the casing 14, may for example, be, from sixty degrees-to ninety degreesFahrenheit, and'such 7 temperature range may be readily maintained in' a relatively small andcompact main cooler 5 of large capacity, by virtue of theeffective'; initial cooling accomplished by the initialconduit cooler type cooler, a second drum type cooler,

6. The combination of initial and final coolers 6, 5, therefore, permits more effective and rapid cooling of the cans 28, than would be-possible with either a conduit or a drum type of cooler when used alone, since the temperature of. the cans 28 is rapidly initially reduced and is more slowly finallyreduced in the successive types of coolers operating in conjunction-"with each other a at maximum efficiency.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a simple, compact and highly eflicient cooler for food laden cylindrical cans or the like. 'The cooler functions to quickly initially reduce the temperature of the successive cans 28, and to effectively finally cool'the same after the initial reduction in temperature has been effected. The can transferring mechanism functions to automatically transfer the cans from the initial cooler to the final cooler and from the final cooler to the discharge conveyor, and this portion of the. system is obviously not confined to a cooler but may be more generally applied to other machines wherein cans are to be transferred from one type of a conveyor to another. All portionsof-lthe mechanisms are moreover'conveniently accessi ble for inspection, and the temperatures of'the cooling liquids admitted through the inlets 22, 23 maybe readily regulated to meet various con ditions of operation.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and operation herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art. V

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent 1. A cooling unit comprising, an initial conduit type cooler, a second drum type cooler, means for directly transferring objects in succession from directlytransferring objects in succession from said initial to said second cooler, and meansfor' passing-cooling liquid through said coolers in succession in a direction opposite to :the direc-, tion of travel of the objects'therethrough.

4. A cooling unit comprising, an initial cooler consisting of azig-zag conduit and means for transporting objects longitudinally therethrough,

a second cooler consistingiofa casing and means for transporting objects spirally therethrough, and means for directly transferring objects in succession from the transporting means of said second'cooler. 8

5. A cooling unit comprising, an initial cooler consisting of a Zig-zag conduit and means for transporting objects longitudinally therethrough,

initial cooler to the transporting nieansof sai d f a second cooler: consisting of a casing and means for transporting objectsspirally" therethrough', means fordirectly transferring objects in sucjcession from the transporting means of said initial coolerto the" transporting means of said second cooler, and means for passing cooling liquid through said coolers in succession.

6. A cooling unit comprising an initial cooler consisting of a zig-zag conduit and means for transporting objects longitudinally therethrough, a second cooler consisting of a casing and means for transporting objects spirally therethrough, means for directly transferring objects in succession from the transporting means of said initial cooler to the transporting means of said second cooler, and means for passing cooling liquid through said coolers in succession in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the objects therethrough. a

'7. A cooling unit comprising, an initial cooler, a second cooler, means for transferring objects in succession from said initial to said second cooler, and means independent of said object transferring means for conducting cooling liquid from said second to said initial cooler.

8. In combination, a conduit cooler having a can inlet and a cooling liquid outlet at the same end thereof, a drum coolerhaving a can inlet communicating directly with the opposite end of said conduit cooler, and means for conducting liquid directly from said drum cooler to. an intermediate portion of said conduit cooler. I

9. In combination, a circular elongated casing having a can transporting rotor therein adapted to urge successive cans around andalong the casing interior, means for admitting cans to one end of said casing, means for admitting liquid to the opposite end of said casing, a conduit communicating with the can inlet end of said casing at said can admission means, and means for delivering liquid from said casing to said conduit in advance of said can admission means.

10. A cooling unit comprising, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending conduits at least one of which defines a zig-zag path, and an intermediate drum communicating with the lower end portions of both of said conduits.

11. A cooling unit comprising, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending conduits at least one of which defines a zig-z'ag path, and an elongated cylindrical drum communicating at its opposite ends with the lower end portions of said conduits.

12. A cooling unit comprising, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending conduits at least one of which defines a zig-zag can path, an intermediate drum communicating with the lower end portions of both of said conduits, and means for transporting cans in succession through said conduits and said drum. j

13. A cooling unit comprising, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending conduits at least one of which defines a zig-zag can path, an elongated cylindrical drum communicating at its opposite ends with the lower end portions of said conduits,

and means for constantly advancing cylindrical cans in succession through said conduits and said drum. a 1

14. A cooling unit comprising, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending elongatedv conduits, an intermediate drum communicating with the lower portions of both of said conduits, and means for advancing cans in succession through said conduits and said drum.

15. A cooling unit comprising, a drum, laterally j spaced elongated inlet and discharge conduits extending upwardly from the opposite ends of .said drum, mechanism for urging cans in succession through said inlet conduit and said drum and said discharge conduit, and means for circulating liquid through said inlet conduit and saiddrum in a direction opposite to the travel of the cans.

16. A cooling unit comprising, a drum, an elongated zig-zag can inlet conduitextending upwardly from one portion of said drum, an elongated can discharge conduit extending upwardly 1 from another' portion of said drum, means for transporting cans in succession through said inlet conduit and said. drum and said: discharge conduit, and means for progressively cooling the advancingicans. 17. A cooling unit comprising, a drum having means for transporting cans spirally there- 7 through, an elongated zig-zag conduit extending upwardly from one portion of said drum, an elongated conduit extending upwardly from another portion of said drum, and. means for advancing the cans through said conduits.

18. A cooling unit comprising, a drum having means for transporting cans spirally therethrough, an elongated can inlet conduit extending upwardly from one end of said drurnand having means for transporting cans longitudinally therethrough, and an elongated can dis-- charge conduit extending upwardly from the opposite .end of said drum and having means for transporting the cans longitudinally therethrough. I

19. A cooling unit comprising, a drum having means for transporting cans spirally therethrough, an elongated can inlet conduit extending upwardly from one end of said drum and having means for transporting cans longitudinally therethrough, an elongated can discharge conduit extendingupwardly from the opposite end of said drum and having means for transporting the cans longitudinally therethrough, and

means for circulating cooling liquidthrough said drum and said inlet conduit in a direction opposite' to the can travel.-

V FRANK n'cHAPMAN, 

